Spreading Holiday Cheer!

Digital collage created with Smilebox

This year I decided to go "green" with my holiday cards & 

decided to send them electronically.

Merry Christmas & ENJOY :)

love,

*lucy.

{So Much Loveliness in Orlando}

{I'm on vacation!}

SeaWorld, Florida

Clearwater Beach, FL

Yay for a week with girlfriends, 

warm weather & going to 

the happiest place on earth--

I love being a "big kid"

{Until next week...TTFN}

:)

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

My first experience at Seattle's Urban Craft Uprising was fabulous! 

Tons of creative entrepreneurs in one place-- talk about inspiring. 

I'm so ready to crank out some hand-made Christmas gifts before 

I board a plane for sunny Florida later this week :)

Without further adieu these were my favorite 5 vendors:

{1} Redboots Design

Operating out of Bellingham, WA this crew uses funky screen prints 

to decorate your clothes & your home.

photo cred: Redboots Design
Whales are one of Red Boot's reoccuring themes.
Check out their Etsy store here.

{2} Old School Stationers

Representing P-town, these fellas practice the age-old art of using a letterpress.

I was impressed.

photo cred: Old School Stationers
Buy there stuff here.

{3} The Bowl Maker

Cary Lane's whimsical characters & fine-crafted pottery 

makes eating cereal fun for all ages :)

Her website is still in the works so check out where you can see her shows!

photo cred: cary lane

{4} Bella Sisters

photo cred: Bella Sisters

Recycled jackets decorated to make someone love them all over again. 

Find your perfect jacket here.

{5} Rachel's Map Paintings

photo cred: Rachel Austin

A description of her work won't do it justice;

check out her Etsy store!

Cheers,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

HAPPY CYBER MONDAY!

    Yes, it's true I was out of the loop last week but even this part-time blogger needs a break from everything to give thanks:)  So I'm sure you're all in full Christmas-planning mode.  You may remember one of the things on my "30 Before 30" list is to give only handmade gifts.  I'm going to do my best to stay true to that this holiday season.  With that said, today I'm featuring some of my favorite crafters & DIY projects.

{1} GUSSY SEWS.

I've mentioned Miss Gussy's loveliness a time or two in the past 

& today she is hosting a great Cyber Monday Deal.

Plus, she has a very inspiring story about how she started her sewing business.

photo cred: GUSSY herself
go HERE to check out her shop!

{2} "Have A Ball"

photo cred: Sew It All Mag

Well...the cat's outta the bag on this one.

Many of you will be seeing these this Christmas season :)

See the link above for info on how to get the DIY pattern.

{3} Adorable Frames

Embroidery hoops are an easy find at your local thrift store & make great frames-

not to mention you can use scraps of fun fabrics for the background!

photo cred: Ruche.com
The above project can be found with many others in
Ruche's Homemade Holiday Guide

{4} Custom Coasters

A girlfriend of mine made me something similar to this with photos on the tiles.

Whatever you use, they're cute & practical.

photo cred: Curlby
go here for the tutorial

{5} Saving the Best for Last...

URBAN CRAFT UPRISING 2011

Who's coming with me?!
Read more about this event where I'll be doing
most of my Christmas shopping :)

Happy crafting & shopping :)

always,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

After work today I began planning for the Turkey Day feast I'm hosting next week. Here's a little preview of the lovely goodies that will adorn my table :)

{1} Pumpkin Pie Punch!

courtesy of LVH via AP
Why not make room for more original deserts
& drink your pumpkin pie?

{2} Lemony Green Beans

via BHG
In an effort to be healthier I decided to ditch
those crunchy fried onion thingies

{3} Apple & Cranberry Stuffing

via allrecipes.com
With or without sausage it's delish

{4} Tried & True Rosemary Roasted Turkey

via allrecipes.com
I made this last year & got rave reviews;
I'm not going to mess with perfection

{5} Quince Slab Pie

via MARTHA :)
Have you ever seen a quince at the grocery store?
I'm not sure I have...this may take some research
but am determined to serve this!

Happy Turkey Day planning my friends & family!!

xoxo,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

{1} A Housewarming Party!

Cheers to good friends who came out last week 

to celebrate the start of my new chapter...

Thank you hostess, Stacy!

The Krauses even made an appearance :)

The ever-supportive bf 

A party wouldn't be complete without Will-Dawg!

{2} Kitchen Towels 

Embroidered with Love

Could this housewarming gift my bud Nicole
made for me be any cuter?!

{3} Abandoned Shelf

I'm not sure what's more lovely:
the shelf itself or the fact that when the boyfriend
spotted it in his new home's basement he knew I'd love it!

{4} Celebratory Candied Apples

At my clinic's monthly meeting my coworker Chris brought treats.
It was in honor of their "new" staff member Mara Lechner.
(In case you're out of the loop I've gone back to my maiden name:)

{5} I Am Thankful For...

via BH&G
I have wonderful people in my life &
 I am very thankful for each & every one of them.
Can you think of a better centerpiece at Thanksgiving Day?

cheers,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Corgi Costumes on HALLOWEEN}

It's true, I've trolled many-a-websites looking at cute lil corgis in their Halloween costumes. As if this breed couldn't be any more awkward, right? Hope this puts a smile on your face this All Hallow's Eve :)

{1} Duck, Duck... CORGI!

via flickr.com

{2} Paul's Companion

via sugarhut

{3} Dr. Who??

via corgiaddict.com

{4} Minnie Pup

via corgiaddict.com

{5} Lobster Will

This post wouldn't be complete without Mr. Willis!

Have a safe & Happy Halloween!!

*lucy. 

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

Let the DIYing for my new apartment begin!! Ahhh...where to start?! These gems have me well on my way to my first project.

{1} A New Neighborhood Favorite

Last Tuesday after a long day's work I headed to the grocery store. What I didn't expect to stumble across that dreary evening was a shop I hadn't explored in Northern Tacoma.

Que: The Design Cottage

There I met the friendly owner, Diane, who was full of creative ideas,
inspiration, blog read suggestions &...
{wait for it}

{2} CHALK PAINT!!!
I might be in love.

Go here to learn about Annie Sloan's amazing paint!

How did I not know this stuff existed?! Thank you, Diane, so much for opening my eyes to the endless possibilities of refinishing & distressing furniture!!
This paint basically covers anything=

refinish/paint furniture without the tedious prep work!

{3} My Latest "IT" Color

Meet ARLES: the perfect vintage yellow.

{4} Tutorials.

So I got this awesome new product. How do I use it? Any tricks of the trade?
Any no-no's? help.

I really like the how-to videos below by DIY extraordinaires of
Perfectly Imperfect & Miss Mustard Seed:

Waxes from Miss MustardSeed on Vimeo.


{5} The Piece.
I've got this great new product & have an idea how to use it...where do I start?
Trolling Craigslist of course!! And that is how I found these great vintage chairs that will look perfect distressed with Chalk Paint!

I cannot wait to give these guys a face-& seat-lift!

Stay Tuned...

Sweet Dreams,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

{Time to get your monogram on!}

I didn't used to be fan of initials on things but something in me has shifted.  

And today's post starts with a project done by one of my sisters.  

It's in our blood to be crafty, artistic & sew.

{1} Give Me a 'K'

Impressive work, Kali!

{2} 'P' is for Pumpkin

While hunting for fall decor ideas I stumbled across this!
Photo & tutorial cred goes to: The Butlers

{3} Fancy, Cheap & Easy DIY

Totally going to make this part of my mantel montage!
Photo & tutorial cred: Craftastical!

{4} 'M' is for ME.

Chevrons in my favorite "now" colorscheme: check.
Available on ETSY from prettymod's shop

{5} Alphabet by Anthro.

Perfect for a little's room...or anyone's room, really :)
Available here

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

          I hope this dreary Monday eve finds you comfy in your warm home. Today I want to share some fun products that may intrigue you. After all, on these blustery days it can be fun to online shop- right?

{1} Ridiculously Comfy FlipFlops!!

Randomly I found these at a "crunchy" health food & supplement store

& I'm not exagerrating about how comfortable they are.  Not to mention their

commendable mission to be eco-friendly & give back.
Props to FeelGoodz.

{2} A Water Bottle that Doesn't Perspire!

Scored my Hydro Flask @ the Puyallup Fair. It does all that it promises, no joke.

Another company that makes a point to give back.
Better yet, they're homegrown in the NW- Bend, OR.

{3} Is Purple the New Neutral?!
If it is, I'm totally ok with it. IKEA recently released their new
ISALA line & it couldn't be cuter!

{4} LARK by Amy Butler
Her new line, Lark, inspired by Maxime de la Falaise is now available for pre-order!

Boho-chic, yet sophisticated.
love.

{5} What a Hoot
It's been decided I've inherited my great grandma's fondness for owls.

Find these Treetop Friends & much more by Skip Hop on Amazon.com

These "birdie balls" made me do a double-take...
how hard do they look to make?? ;)

Ok, it's most definitely time to curl up & enjoy the sound of the pouring rain...

sweet dreams,

*lucy

{5 Lovely Things on this Fall Tuesday}

Many of us got out down comforters out last week and you know what that means...fall is indeed upon us.  And that, my friends, is why today is all about fall loveliness!!

{1} Foliage Reports!

This shot was taken by moi near Mystic, Conneticut
Yay for my friends who got married in CT a few years ago
so I could experience the Yankee foliage!

I think it's absolutely wonderful that Foliage Reports really exist. Take a minute out of your busy day & perusing the many slideshows that show off autumn's masterpiece. A good one I stumbled across this weekend featured
"The Top 25 Foliage Towns in New England".
Gorgeous. Can I go back...Like now?

{2} Fall Beverages

From mulled cider to Autumn-Inspired Cocktails, who can resist?

p.s. The Normandy looks promising & will be making an appearance at a 

progressive dinner come the end of October.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

{3} Early Season's Greetings
Today glo.com featured ETSY's top picks for 
autumnal handmade greeting cards. So cute!!

Photo cred: Stacy Rogers of stacyscards on ETSY

{4} Natural Decor

BHG strikes again! Check out their article to make adorable 

(& affordable!) fall decorations.

This is so simple & unique.
Plus it would work for any season-
what a great way to spice up your decor!

{5} Fall Chow
This loveliness wouldn't be complete without what our fall harvest brings...
I tend to save the best for last :)

Pumpkin-Sage Cream Sauce= YES PLEASE!

What's for dinner? Go here to see Delish.com for 15 Fall Recipes to see!

Now I'm hungry. 

toodles,

*lucy

p.s. hopefully the food & drink recipes make up for me having my epic fail of not posting yesterday ;)